Safaricom on Thursday launched 5G Wi-Fi services commercially in Kenya in a move to avail to its customers superfast internet at home and at work.

This comes after Safaricom in March 2021 announced the trials of 5G in Kenya, making the largest telecommunications company the first internet service provider to do so in the country.

This will see Safaricom client in 5G-ready areas enjoy fast and reliable internet connection in their homes and businesses as it plans to extend the network to other areas of the city and country.

“We believe in the transformative power of the internet and will continue to deliver the most advanced technologies towards enabling our customers enjoy a digital lifestyle. The launch of 5G Wi-Fi is the first step in empowering our retail and enterprise customers to start exploring new opportunities that 5G provides,” said Safaricom CEO Peter Ndegwa.

The move by Safaricom will enable customers in 5G-ready zones access 5G Wi-Fi by buying a 5G router at Sh25,000 added to a setup fee of Sh5,000 and choosing from three packages on offer.

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They telecommunications company’s customers also have the option of subscribing for a 36-month contract enabling them to receive the router for free.

Ezra Chiloba and Peter Ndegwa. 

The telcos says introductory 5G Wi-Fi plans include: 10Mbps with a usage limit of 300GB at Sh3,499; 40Mbps with a usage limit of 500GB at Sh5,999; and 100Mbps with a usage limit of 1TB at Sh14,999.

They will continue enjoying internet at throttled speeds upon depletion of the allocated usage limit.

Safaricom customers who will be using smartphones that support 5G will also be able to access the 5G network and enjoy superfast internet speeds.

Among the smartphones that are 5G-enabled include gadgets from the Samsung Galaxy S and Fold series, as well as Huawei and OPPO 5G devices.

However, customers who are using iPhones and select 5G-enabled Samsung devices will be needed to do a software update from the manufacturer to access the 5G network.

Michael Joseph, Ezra Chiloba, Eliud Kipchoge and Peter Ndegwa. 

Ndegwa says Safaricom is planning to also provide 5G data packages for mobile internet clients and leverage the Lipa Mdogo Mdogo device-financing option to avail more affordable 5G smartphones.

Safaricom currently boasts of 35 active 5G sites spread across Nairobi, Kisumu, Kisii, Kakamega and Mombasa, and seeks to expand to 200 sites across the country by March 2023.

To check available 5G zones or get the 5G Wi-Fi, customers can visit internet.safaricom.co.ke.

The telcos says it now covers more than 99 per cent of Kenya’s population with network and that its fibre optic network connecting more than 200,000 homes to internet.